Accepted.com is continuing a blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. We hope to offer you a candid picture of student life, and what you should consider as you prepare your MBA application.
Here’s a talk with Jennifer Langel, a student at Berlin's ESMT (European School of Management and Technology) with a background in television and media. Thank you Jennifer for sharing your thoughts with us!
Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from? What and where did you study as an undergraduate and when did you graduate?
Jennifer: I grew up in a small town in southeastern Michigan, an hour from Ann Arbor. When it was time to apply for college I only applied to the University of Michigan. I studied Film and Video Studies, and graduated in 2002. After graduating, I lived briefly in Chicago, and then moved to Los Angeles. I started working in television as a production assistant, became a coordinator, and then a production accountant. Since graduating, I have worked on several talk shows, including The Jerry Springer Show, Dr. Phil, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tyra Banks Show and most recently Lopez Tonight.
Accepted: Why did you decide to attend ESMT? Which other programs were you considering and what tipped the scales to favor ESMT?
Jennifer: I looked at several programs in the U.S., and was seriously considering Marshall at USC. However, I had never lived or worked abroad and started to research the idea of combining two life goals: my MBA and living abroad. I focused only on MBA programs in Germany, as I already spoke a little German and was familiar with the culture. I looked at the other top MBA programs in Germany: Mannheim, GISMA, HHL but ultimately I felt ESMT was the best fit for me.
I chose ESMT for the focus on technology, and because the current and past students I spoke with were so excited about their experience. The helpfulness of the admission office, and the excitement about being part of such a young program also appealed to me.
Accepted: Had you visited ESMT before deciding to attend?
Jennifer: I visited the school for my admissions interview, and left Berlin hoping I would be admitted.
Accepted: What are some of your favorite things about living in Berlin?
Jennifer: Berlin is one of the hottest cities in the world right now, and it is amazing to walk in the streets with so much energy everywhere. It’s also a great city to wander in, I love to walk and see where I end up. My least favorite part is how the time flies when I am out with my classmates, an hour feels like five minutes!
Accepted: From what I understand, ESMT has two elective tracks -- Sustainability and Innovation & Technology. Which did you choose and why?
Jennifer: I chose the Technology track. How we watch television is in the process of changing and I want to be a part of that change.
Accepted: What do you plan to do post-MBA? Will you return to the West Coast (U.S.) and to the media world?
Jennifer: I definitely want to continue working in the media industry, and ideally, I would like to stay in Berlin or Germany for a few years.
Accepted: Your Filmography listing on IMDB is very impressive (and really cool!). What's been your best job in TV production? What was it like working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show? Did you get to hang out with Ellen? Is she funny when the cameras aren't reeling?
Jennifer: My favorite job was working on The Tyra Banks Show. I was the same age as the demographic of the show, and the show talked about topics that were relevant and fun for me. I still use makeup tips I learned from Tyra! Sadly, as an accountant, I didn’t get to interact much with Ellen, but my friend was a producer on the show and loved working directly with her.
Accepted: Do you have any advice for some of our applicants who will be applying to ESMT?
Jennifer: My best advice is to reach out to the admissions office and current and past students. Visiting the school is also important: It’s hard to understand what a program has to offer just by looking at the website. ESMT is special because of its small size; every student benefits from attention from the faculty and the administration and this is best observed by visiting.
For complete, soup-to-nuts guidance on the MBA admissions process, please purchase Linda Abraham's new book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools – now available in paperback and Kindle editions!
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This article was originally posted on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.
As proven again, the candidate in question could not find a job in Germany post the ESMT MBA and she is a white US person. All it matters in Germany for a successful MBA career is that you need to be “German” and obviously should be super fluent in the language. The noteworthy point is a “successful” career not some dead-end job which some lucky few immigrants get. Here is something I posted elsewhere to ponder about ..
These are some Golden Words for future German MBA aspirants – Do not come to Germany for an MBA.
I have lived here for the last three years and seen the environment inside out. So I will lay out what a typical Indian, Chinese or heck even other non-German speaking aspirants face here.
1. Germany or France or Italy or Spain are not ‘immigrant friendly countries’. If you have never set foot outside your native country, then I assure you that the initial few months will be extremely nice and you will feel thankful about landing up into this beautiful country with many promises but as you live here you will realize that the opportunities for you are not only limited but non-existent. This is not the USA where people look upon immigrants as something desirable and there is no differentiation of whether you are highly educated or an asylum seeker. So when you start sending out your resume you will notice that you dont get called for interviews.
2. The German language: Yes its THE thing to be fluent in. If you are not, you can kiss your chances of a post-MBA job bye bye. Seriously the MBA school interviewer will not tell you this. All the so called ‘International’ companies majorly work in German internally and before they even consider to hire you they will hire the Germans first. You will be the last of the last pick if at all. Just check the linkedin profiles of candidates from Mannheim Business School or WHU, half of them are still searching for jobs, 2 out of 10 are placed somewhere nearly decent. Thats about it.
3. Now if you consider yourself as a hopeless romantic and a go-getter ready to have the European experience, please go ahead and enjoy your one year here. But as time goes by, the sullen faces, the lack of service and courtesy in public places and restaurants and never ending trips to the dreaded Bureucracy will suck the life out of you in three years. Then what?
Here are some tips:
1. If you can go to an English speaking country like the USA, UK, Australia or Singapore, just go there! Only come to Europe if you are really that desperate to escape your own wretched country.
2. Come to Europe for a holiday, not for making your life here. If someone says ‘eh, Europe is not for everyone’, just tell that person to take it up his ass because well, It is not for anyone.
Why do you think German MBAs are so cheap and give ‘discounts’ to early bird applications? Because NOBODY in their right minds apply here.